Rescue at Sea
by CinderellaAtTheBall
Summary: Princess Angelina wouldn't have chosen to be rescued by a band of pirates...but these are not your typical pirates. (Pirate!AU, Royalty!AU).


_Written for Hogwarts Challenges and Assignments - Term 11, Assignment 6: __**Men's History, Task #2: write about someone with a royal title. **_

_Also written for Care of Magical Creatures Class at The Golden Snitch Forum (Beauxbatons, Guinefort) - 25. Chimaera: write about breaking or not conforming to stereotypes. _

_Many thanks to Angel (DarkAngelofSorrowReturns) for betaing!_

* * *

**Rescue at Sea**

"Do you know who I am?" Princess Angelina demanded, fighting off the chill that trailed down her spine. She was drenched from head to toe thanks to her plunge into the sea and in no mood to be pleasant to wretched pirates, even if they _had _saved her life.

"Haven't the foggiest!" the pirate captain said brightly. He had bright red hair accompanied by a wicked grin, and Angelina knew she wouldn't have liked him regardless of his criminal status.

Angelina drew herself up to her full height of five feet, nine and a _half_ inches. "I am Princess Angelina of England," she said proudly. Around her, several men sniggered, and she glared fiercely at them until they stopped.

The captain snorted. "That doesn't mean much around here, sweetheart. And if you're really a royal, where's your crown?"

She narrowed her eyes at the captain. "It's rather difficult to tell," she replied in her frostiest tone. "You see, when one has been floating about in the ocean for _days_, one tends to prioritize one's _safety_ over one's _crown_."

The pirate continued to look unsympathetic to her plight. "Can't say I'd know anything about that. You were floating for days, you say?" He appraised her with a look that made her redden.

"That's what I said," she retorted with another heated glare, "and I am in dire need of a decent meal and a good night's sleep." She began to walk towards the ship's cabins, hoping she might be able to lie down for a spell.

"Hang on just a moment there, _Princess_," the redhead said in a voice that sounded too mocking for her liking.

She whirled around abruptly. "What is it, _pirate_?"

He tipped his black tricorn hat towards her. "For starters, the name's George. _Captain _George. Also, seeing as this is _my_ ship, I'll be deciding what to do with you and where you'll be sleeping."

"Your name is of no concern to me," she spat, "and if you so much as touch a single strand on my head, my father will hunt you down and kill you."

It usually brought her great satisfaction to voice that threat, but the pirate—_George_—remained unfazed, much to her irritation.

"How fortunate that I planned no such thing," he snarked, that awful smile stretching across his features again. Angelina thought he might have been handsome at one time, but years of piracy had eroded those good looks. Come to think of it, he couldn't be any older than herself. She wasn't sure if that realization was reassuring or horrifying.

"What will you do with me, then?" she asked, unable to keep the trembles away. A light breeze had just fluttered the hulking sails of the ship and made her feel, in her wet clothes, as though she had been thrown into a pile of snow.

"Nothing untoward, I assure you." George jerked his head in the direction of one of his men. It was then that Angelina finally noticed, with some horror, that he was missing an ear. "Lee will show you to your quarters and see to it that you are properly warmed and clothed."

Lee, a man who also appeared to be near her age, had dreadlocks that hung down to his waist. He nodded at her. "Come with me, Princess," he said in a deep voice.

Angelina followed, taking in the ship's dark, gleaming wood. "The captain seems...nice," she said carefully. "How do you find him?"

Lee was all too happy to extoll the virtues of Captain George, of which there were apparently many. He was kind, he said, and generous, too. He never mistreated his crew or his prisoners and had gained a reputation for being something of a jokester. Angelina hated to admit it, but she found her respect for the redhead growing little by little. For a pirate, he didn't seem so bad.

Finally, they reached a tiny cabin with a single window. In it, there was a small cot covered with warm-looking beige blankets. There was also a simple mirror, a basin of water, and a chest of drawers.

"It isn't much," Lee said, sounding almost apologetic, "but you have a chest full of beautiful garments at your disposal, Miss."

"It's fine," Angelina heard herself say airily. "Thank you."

Lee left her after that, and she quickly changed into some dry clothes before crawling into the cot to get some rest. Sleep didn't come easily, however, despite her exhaustion. She kept thinking of her parents and her fiancé and how worried they all must be. She also couldn't stop replaying the horrific events that had led to her being stranded in the ocean...

...

_The sky was dark, and the storm seemed inevitable. Captain Oliver shouted orders as loud and fast as he could, but he and the crew were no match for the howling winds, the blitzing rain, or the raging sea. Eventually, the ship gave into the elements and capsized, groaning as it did so. Angelina and the rest of the crew were flung into the unforgiving sea. After some time, the princess found herself alone with the flotsam, but the cries of her fellow travelers rang in her ears. She clung to a piece of wood and prayed that someone would rescue her. _

...

A knock sounded at the door, and Angelina sat up with a start. She had fallen asleep at some point, but she couldn't remember drifting off.

"Who's there?" she called.

"Your captain," came the voice on the other side.

Angelina rolled her eyes, but quickly peeled away the blankets and wiped the sweat from her forehead. "Come in!"

George sauntered in, peering at her with a satisfied smirk. "Sleep well, Princess?"

"I suppose," she said evasively.

He sat on the edge of her cot, and she shrank away from him. He might not be the usual ruthless, bloodthirsty pirate if Lee was to be believed, but she wasn't taking any chances.

"How are you?" he asked, his blue eyes searching hers. She frowned, thrown by the concern she saw in them.

"I'm...I feel like I'm living in a nightmare and I can't wake up," she admitted softly. It felt good to say it out loud.

"Would that have something to do with the circumstances that led to you floating in the sea?" George wanted to know.

Angelina nodded and let out a strangled sob. "We shipwrecked," she whispered. "I was traveling to meet my fiancé, Viktor, and we sailed into bad weather. I do not have the faintest idea what happened to the others."

She buried her face in her hands and began to weep. The weight at the end of her cot shifted, and a moment later she felt a warm hand on her back, rubbing gentle circles.

"Shhh," George soothed. "It won't do you any good to dwell on them right now, Princess."

Angelina lifted her head and stared at him in anguish. "You don't understand. How can I _not_? Why should I live instead of them?"

"I asked myself the same question when my brother died," George confessed quietly. "I assure you, I understand more than you know."

Angelina froze in the act of drying her cheeks. "Your brother?"

"Aye, my twin brother, actually," George clarified, staring off at a spot beyond Angelina's head. "He was killed by a lily-livered pirate in a drunken brawl of vengeance." To Angelina's surprise, he suddenly began to laugh. "It all started because Fred had to run a rig on the lad. I wish I could have seen the look on the bloke's face when he was found with the pigs."

Angelina didn't know what to say, so she just waited patiently for George's laughter to subside. When he had finished wiping his eyes, he glanced out the window and said, "I've got something amazing to show you."

He exited Angelina's cabin without looking back. Curiosity got the better of her, and she trailed after him, wondering all the while how he had fallen into a life of piracy. He didn't seem like the type to plunder and pillage mercilessly. Perhaps he loved the freedom of it. Angelina could understand that, trapped as she was in an engagement she hadn't asked for.

The sun was just beginning to ascend into the sky. Angelina gasped at the vivid shades of pink, orange, and yellow mixing together like the finished glaze on a portrait. "It's beautiful."

"I love to come out here and watch the sun rise," George said, smiling at her. Maybe it was the morning light, or maybe it was the fact that he had been so kind to her, but his smile didn't seem so despicable anymore.

"I can see why," she said, gazing at the calm waters. She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and sighed as her mind began to wander.

"What are you thinking about?" George asked, and when she turned to face him, she found that he was looking right at her. She blushed.

"My parents, mainly. I miss them terribly."

"I reckon they miss you as well, Princess," George said. "Tell you what, I'm going to get you back to them as soon as I can. Now, what do you say to some sustenance?"

Angelina smiled for the first time in days. "Thank you..." She trailed off. If she was going to be aboard a ship with him for days, or even weeks, she might as well be cordial. "Thank you, _Captain._"

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Word count: 1,581


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